1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to railroad e-clip removing devices and more specifically it relates to a railroad e-clip removal system for efficiently and safely removing railroad e-clips from a railroad track.
2. Description of the Related Art
Railroad clip members, such as e-clips, have been in use for years. Conventional e-clips are slidably positioned within a tubular support member attached to a rail pad as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. E-clips are comprised of a resilient metal that grip the rail under vibrating conditions without damage. Conventional methods of removing e-clips are typically comprised of utilizing a hammer to drive the e-clips from the tubular support member or elongate bar members utilized to pry the e-clips from the tubular support member.
Conventional methods and tools for removing e-clips from a railroad track are cumbersome. In additional, these methods and tools are not safe to remove e-clips which are under significant stress and forces when securing a rail member thereby causing them to “shoot outwardly” after being released from the tubular support member. Also, it is time consuming to manually remove e-clips from the tubular support member.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for efficiently and safely removing railroad e-clips from a railroad track. Conventional methods and tools for removing e-clips from railroad tracks are difficult to utilize and inherently dangerous to the worker.
In these respects, the railroad e-clip removal system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of efficiently and safely removing railroad e-clips from a railroad track.